Tube-expander



i UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

J. H. KNIGKERBOGKER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TUBE-EXPANDER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 49,765, dated September 5,1865.

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. KNIGKER- BOOKER, ot' the city of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a ne'w and useful Improvement in the Expander for Fastening Flues in Boiler- Plates; and I do hereby declare thatthefollowingis a full, clear, and exact description ofthe construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal central section, showing` the expander as applied in fastening a ferrule and flue in a boiler-plate; Fig. 2, the same device as applied in fastening a line without the terrule; Fig. 3, a plan View ofthe upper ends of the arms of the expander; and Fig. 4t, a horizontal section through the bottom or socket ends of the same and the supporting-rin g, like letters ofreference indicating the same parts when in the different gures.

The object of my invention is to afford a more simple, effective, and durable device for expanding or fastening the ends ot' i'lues in steam-boiler plates.

It consists, substantially as hereinafter described and specitied, of a series of arms arranged and securedin an annular socket-piece, so as to admit of their free ends being' sim ultaneously forced outward radially by the pasy sage of a conical irustum drawn through the tube or ferrule and centrally between the said arms, underthe operation of any suitable power applied thereto, for the purpose ot' expanding the iiues or ferrules,or both of them together, in fastening them in boiler-plates; in the einployment ot' removable or changeable dies in the said radially-moving arms for the purpose ot' adapting the same expander to different sizes of iiues or ferrules; and, also, in combination with the said expander, the employment of a conical frustum having longitudinally through it a hole of an oval or oblong cross-section for the purpose of allowing of the introduction and withdrawal through it of a corresponding bolt-head, which, on the bolts being turned quarter-way around in the said hole, will be retained thereby for the purpose ot'enabling the operator, in using the expander, to more readily and quickly attach and detach thesaid draw-bolt and conical frustum to and from each other, as occasion may require.

In the drawings, A A are the radially-moving arms, B the annular socket-piece, C the conical i'rustum, Iand D the headed-bolt. E represents a section ot' a steam-boiler plate, F a section ot'a flue, and G a section ofa ferrule.

Letters Patent dated the 24th day of June, 1862, were granted to me for the application of grooved ferrules in fastening iiues in boilerplates; and the difficulties encountered in the application ot' means for producing the requisite expansion ot'the same have led me to the present invention.

The arms A and the annular socket-piece B are each made of metal, and about of the size shown in the drawings. The socket-piece B is in two parts, b b2, screwed together by suitable screws. (Not shown in thedrawings.) The bottom piece, b, has a series of separate straight sockets, b3, with semicircular bottoms, and the lower end ot' each of the arms A is made in the form ofa cylindrical boss, or rounded, so that it will fit and turn in its respective socket, while the top ring, b2, is recessed at its inneror underside, so that it will lit partly over on the projecting part of the cylindrical boss a when screwed down firmly upon b', and allow all the said arms A, to be moved radially on their bosses within proper limits. An elastic ring, H, is applied around the outside ot' the series of arms A, which serves to keep them closed together sufficiently when not in use in the tubes, as seen in Fig. 3, and at the same time allows ot' their easy separation on the pas- 'sage of the conical frustum C or C between thein,as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. Each arm A is provided with a dovetailed socket in its outer side, which carries one of n like series of dies, l, there being several series provided, and each series being adapted in thickness to suit correspondingly different sized lines F, so that the same expander can be readily varied for the different occasions.

The conical frustum C has its larger end made to t'the diameter of the iiue F, while its smaller end is reduced suiiiciently to make it enter the center ofthe expander. lt has a hole ot' an oval or oblong section longitudinally through its center, and the head of the bolt D is made ot' acorresponding section, so that itcan be readily introduced headforemost through the hole, and, when turned quarter round therein, retained by its longer shoulders,

so as to draw the frustum C forward when the bolt Dis drawn bya sufcientpower. A screwnut and collar are shown in Fig. 1 for operating the bolt and frustum by a lever, which arrangement will answer in some cases; but the application of hydraulic pressure, as patented to Reuel Blackwood, April 5, 1864, is found to be much more expeditious and economical for the purpose, and is therefore intended to be generally used.

Operation: When the tubes F are intended to be fastened by the application of the ferrule G the conical frustum C is applied over the head of the bolt D projecting through the expander, or, if hydraulic pressure be used, over the correspondingly headed and projecting piston-rod or ram of the press, and the free ends of the arms of the expander' applied in direct contact against the thicker edge ofthe ferrule G in the flue E, arranged as seen in Fig. 1, and the frustum C then drawn entirely out through the ferrule, and thus tightening the iiue and ferrule as required. When the tubes are to be fastened without the ferrules the smaller end of the expander is introduced into a tube, F, until the dies I I correspond with the edges of the boiler-plate E, when a solid conical frustum, C', is driven or pressed in so as to effect the expansion required to fasten the tube or flue, as indicated in Fig. 2. This solid frustum C' may be made to fit on the ram of a hydraulic press, so as to adapt it, in this case also, directly to the purpose of applying hydraulic pressure, as before described for the ferrules.

It will be readily seen that this expander will be more effective and durable, and also more easy and simple of construction, than any device heretofore used for the purpose.

I do not desire to claim the application of hydraulic pressure, in combination with a conical frustum, to the purpose of expanding ferrules or iiues in boiler-plates; but,

Having fully described my improved expander and shown its utility, what I claim' as new therein of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The series ot radially-moving arms A A, arranged and supported in an annular base,

vB, so as to operate or bc operated together substantially as described, for the purposes specied.

2. The employment ot'removable or changeable dies I I, in combination With the radiallymoving arms A A, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In combination with an expander provided with radially-moving arms A A, as described, the employment ofthe hollow conical frustum C, operated together by any suitable power, as and for'the purposes described.

JOHN H. KNIGKERBOCKER.

Witnesses BENJ. MoRIsoN, J AMES WINsMoRE. 

